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Allen West, an unvaccinated Texas governor candidate, railed against "dangerous" COVID-19 vaccines while hospitalized with the coronavirus on Sunday.
Allen West, who is unvaccinated and running for Texas governor, called COVID-19 vaccines “dangerous” while he was hospitalized with the virus on Sunday.
West, a Republican, announced Saturday that he was taking hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, which has not been approved to treat the virus. At the time, he said he was experiencing a low-grade fever and light body aches.
By Sunday, he was hospitalized with possible COVID-related pneumonia, he tweeted. He described his symptoms, saying his oxygen levels had slipped to 85, but had hit a normal range of 94 to 96 by Sunday. He was hospitalized at Medical City in Plano, north of Dallas.
West's wife Angela, who is vaccinated and also tested positive for the virus, underwent monoclonal antibody therapy but had been released from the hospital, he said.
He doubled down on his stance against vaccine mandates Sunday, writing that as governor, he would "vehemently crush anyone forcing vaccine mandates in the Lone Star State."
"I can attest that, after this experience, I am even more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates. Instead of enriching the pockets of Big Pharma and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, we should be advocating the monoclonal antibody infusion therapy," he wrote.
He added, "Instead of jabbing Americans, and not illegal immigrants, with a dangerous shot which injects them with these spike proteins...guess what? I now have natural immunity and double the antibodies, and that's science."
Twitter users were quick to point out that monoclonal antibody treatments were both created by the pharmaceutical industry and are much more expensive than the COVID-19 vaccination, which has been scientifically proven to prevent serious illness from the virus.
Regeneron's two-drug cocktail costs $1,250 per infusion, according to Healthline. Each dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is much cheaper, at only $20. Both treatments are paid for by the federal government, but the cocktail costs 62.5 times more than the vaccine.
GSK and Vir's monoclonal antibody costs $2,100 per infusion and is paid for by government payments, reimbursements, and GSK's copay program, according to Healthline.